Personal Statement
Program Applied: Ph.D. in Finance/DBA
My personal history over the heretofore 30 years is characterized by persistent efforts to fight against fate in search for personal excellence. My pre-teenage life was spent on the daily routine of doing farm work early in the morning, going to school during the day and tending cows on the hills till dusk. In 1990, by passing the national college entrance examination whose admission ratio was 1:7, I availed myself of a college education which, even up till now, is the only way to attain economic betterment for students from China’s rural areas. The years from 1994 to 1997 saw me doing my Master’s program at the Finance Department of Central University of Finance and Economics (China’s most prestigious educational institution in finance), majoring in Economics of Money and Banking. Subsequent to my Master’s program, I have been working as associate general manager at the International Business Headquarter, Beijing International Trust and Investment Corporation (BITIC). To my practical-minded parents, I have already fulfilled the familial mission of delivering my family members out of their primordial poverty. But I have a different concept of “fulfillment”, fulfillment that stems from the acquisition of excellence on levels beyond the mere materialistic satiation. As far as I am concerned, this fulfillment can be achieved only through relinquishment, the relinquishment of my present social status and bountiful income in favor of a Ph.D. program in finance in a reputed academic institution on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

My ability to make such an ambitious decision originates from my confidence in acquitting myself satisfactorily in my future degree program, which will necessarily be very challenging. Likewise, my confidence in the future performance is derived from what I have accomplished in the past. First of all, I would like to highlight my strong educational background in finance and my related ability in mathematics. Although during my undergraduate program I majored in the physics teaching at Anhui University, I had the inkling that I would ultimately pursue a career in finance. Therefore I consciously dedicated great efforts to the study of mathematics as I came to understand that quantitative analysis and modeling in finance are all inseparable from mathematics as a research instrument. The result is that I achieved the highest scores in all the courses of mathematics in my class (equally worth mentioning is my English aptitudes, with high scores of 94 and 83.5 respectively in Grade 4 and Grade 6 National English Proficiency Test for College Students, ranking 3rd among 700 students in my University that year). My strong qualifications in science helped to distinguish me among 140 participants in the entrance examination for Master’s program in Central University of Finance and Economics. In my systematic and rigorous academic trainings at this university, I immersed myself in reading classics of finance such as International Financial Market by J. Orling Greybou (奧爾林?格雷布), Exchange Rate and International Finance by Laurence S. Copeland, International Finance: The Markets and Financial Management of Multinational Business by Maurice D. Levi (3rd ed, McGraw-Hill, Inc.), Principles of Economics by N. Gregory Mankiw (printed by Harcourt Brace & Company Asia PTE Ltd.) and relevant classics in macroeconomics, microeconomics, and econometrics. Under the guidance of my supervisor, I closely followed the latest developments in China’s academia and in China’s financial industry.

Instead of passively accepting what is asserted in textbooks that characterized my undergraduate studies, during my Master’s program I tended to be skeptical toward established ideas and endeavored to improve them. For instance, in terms of quotation of exchange rate, the prevailing practice in virtually all the textbooks in the world is to divide it into Direct Quotation System (or Price Quotation System) and Indirect Quotation System (or Quantity Quotation System). Direct Quotation System is defined as the indication of exchange rate by means of a certain amount of domestic currency converted from a certain amount of foreign currency as benchmark whereas Indirect Quotation System is defined as the indication of exchange rate by means of a certain amount of foreign currency converted from a certain amount of domestic currency as benchmark. A scrutiny of these apparently intelligible definitions would reveal that the definitions are in actuality very confusing, difficult to master or to apply. I have come up with my own formula: for currency A and B, if the quotation is given as 1A＝x B, then A is direct quotation while B is indirect quotation. I believe that this definition is unique, intelligible, precise and universally applicable. In my much simplified definition, there is no necessity to discriminate between currency A and B as to which is domestic currency and which is foreign currency, or whether the person in question is a native or a foreigner.

In my rewarding Master’s program, my output equals my input. While acquiring professional knowledge, I accumulated much research experience by writing a number of research papers covering a diversity of areas, attending numerous academic conferences and symposiums. My research papers include The Impact of Euro on European Financial Service Sector (published in China States Finance, vol.10, 1998), Reflections on HongKong Financial Upheavals, Financial Crisis in Southeast Asia and in HongKong and Its Impact on China’s Financial Reform, New Tendencies of International Idle Capital (all published in Beijing Finance, vol. 2, vol. 5, vol. 8, 1998), Ten Lectures on Business in International Finance (published in Harbin Urban Finance, vol. 2 to vol. 10), etc. My research activities also encompassed editing of 4 books Case Studies in Investment, Credit and Taxation, The Modern Futures Dictionary, Business Management of Commercial Banks, and 100 Stock Market Tactics. My Master’s thesis, entitled Financial Regulation & Supervision, is an attempt to propose a series of unique perspectives and measures with respect to the prevailing problems of China’s financial industry such as chaotic financial structure and illegal practices. The thesis was unanimously evaluated as “excellent” by members of the oral defense committee, especially by its chairman Prof. Zhao X x who is the honorary president of the Financial Research Institute, China People’s Bank, and editor-in-chief of Financial Studies. Since 1995, I have been teaching many courses related to finance at several private universities and financial training centers—Monetary Banking, Management of Commercial Banks, International Finance, Financial Market, and Central Banking: Theory, Policy and Practice. Since 1998, I have been teaching International Finance to graduate students in Central University of Finance and Economics.

After finishing my Master’s program in 1997, I found employment with Beijing International Trust and Investment Corporation (BITIC) where I was put in charge of the most challenging foreign exchange business. One year later, I was promoted to the position of associate general manager at the International Business Headquarter for my distinguished professional performance. I attended countless seminars, conferences and workshops organized by various government departments, domestic and international enterprises, specialized associations and guilds. I have masterminded numerable projects and submitted many important research reports to the top management advising on the corporation’s long-term strategic development. Over the past five years, I have been given a number of awards, including the honor of Outstanding Employee of the Corporation. Such an abundance of work experience is my most important asset, giving me intimate knowledge of business operations in international finance, the existing challenges and difficulties, and possible directions for future development.

As a member of the academic committee of BITIC, I have maintained my strong interest in scholarly research. Since China started its overall reform, considerable advances have been achieved in theoretical research by China’s financial academia. However, those advances can scarcely parallel the rapid economic growth of the country. On the other hand, the Chinese academia seems to have failed to keep itself abreast with the latest international scholarship. In terms of research methodologies, the academia is relying excessively on quantitative analysis, deficient in both the scientific rigor and sophistication. This has caused overseas researchers to cast doubt on the accuracy and reliability of Chinese scholarship in general. It is my hope that by pursuing a Ph.D. program and enhancing my research level, I may somehow change this unfavorable situation.
In my prospective program, I would like to seek in-depth studies and trainings in the following fields: a. financial instruments and asset pricing; b. early warning and prevention of financial risks; c. the use of financial derivatives instruments and risk management. Although the financial system in the United States is by no means imperfect (as demonstrated by a series of major financial incidents that happened to American companies), I still believe that we have a lot to learn from such a system, which is after all much more mature than that of China. Of course, I would not forget to examine the disadvantages inherent in both systems. The discovery of flaws is itself conducive to the establishment of truth.

It is no exaggeration to say that I know much about Chinese financial industry. But against the backdrop of increasing globalization, such a knowledge amounts to virtually nothing. The motivation behind my present application is really to infuse myself with new knowledge, to broaden my perspectives, to acquire international experiences in the United States whose capital market, with its unparalleled liquidity, is the most developed in the world. The Business School of Stanford University is among the top few financial institutes whose research is undoubtedly first-rate. To be able to study and research at such a prestigious school is deemed as the best way to improve my professional qualities. Your Ph.D. program attracts students from all countries in the world and in this liberal academic atmosphere I will be exposed to a rich diversity of wholly novel perspectives, which will make it possible for me to exchange ideas and experiences extensively with my prospective classmates, especially my American classmates. This is because I am most interested in assimilating useful experiences of financial development in foreign countries to bear on Chinese financial industry. I envision that your Ph.D. program would strengthen me immeasurably in the pursuit of my future career objectives both on the research level and on the teaching level.